Last weekend, dozens of community members in Pemberton and Lillooet came out to educate themselves on ways to take action for the threatened grizzly bears of southwest BC. Participants included local ranchers, farmers, hikers, and elected leaders. Together, they learned how local residents can do their part to keep bears and communities safe. These sessions took place just days after Grizzly Bears (Western population) were officially declared a species-at-risk by the federal government.

Please take a moment before Jan. 18 to let the government know that your Canada includes grizzly bears, and that you support listing the Grizzly Bear (Western Population) as a species of Special Concern under Schedule 1 of SARA.

Vancouver, BC -- The Coast to Cascades Grizzly Bear Initiative welcomes momentum to list Grizzly Bears as a Species of Special Concern under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA). This proposal was posted shortly before today’s B.C. government announcement that hunting of grizzly bears is now banned everywhere in the province.

The Coast to Cascades Grizzly Bear Recovery Initiative applauds the newly released report from the BC Auditor General’s Office on grizzly bear management in BC, as it accurately highlights the most significant threats facing the province’s grizzly bears.

The Coast to Cascade Grizzly Bear Initiative is pleased to see that today’s statement by theProvincial Government regarding ending the trophy grizzly bear hunt also confirms its commitment to a renewed wildlife management strategy for the province. The group notes the importance for this strategy to recognize that the fate of grizzly bears in B.C. is deeply tied to managing the species and their habitat beyond just the hunt.

In fall 2016 two bears were shot and killed on the N'Quatqua First Nation reserve by Conservation Officers. The bears had come accustomed to human presence and were deemed by conservation officials to pose a threat to human safety. The event saddened and angered many community members and led them to work on ways to prevent future tragedies from occurring.

2016 has been a busy year for the Coast to Cascades Grizzly Bear Initiative. It saw several public events to discuss grizzly conservation strategies, an increase in our outreach and public education efforts and a strengthening of our relationship with local First Nations. We have been very heartened to see the broad support for grizzly bear recovery across Southwest BC.

If you had been travelling through what is now the American West 300 years ago, you would have had to share the land with thousands of grizzly bears. At one time the area was home to over 50 000 bears, with a range that extended all the way into Northern Mexico. Now there are around 2000 grizzly bears in the lower 48 states, occupying around 3% of their original range.